“Aside from Fine Gael’s Lucinda Creighton, the switches from the Yes to the No side included a group of left-wing opposition TDs, Joe Higgins, Clare Daly, Joan Collins, Richard Boyd Barrett, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan and Mick Wallace. ”

The Bill is so very narrow and limited that it is possible to vote against it from a strongly pro-choice position. I suppose. But this is Ireland, even such limited victories for the rights of women are so hard won and rare that it feels wrong to me to vote against the bill.

Ireland is taking small steps to change things. It is a small victory that would have been undreamt of in the not too distant past. The successive governments in power in the past refused to touch this thorny issue for fear of losing their seats and offending the Roman Catholic church. it took brave senators such as Ivana Bacek and intelligent strong people of her ilk to stand out amongst the crowd. There will be no turning back. There can’t be. Ireland will hopefully learn to walk and stand tall.

Clare Daly, TD is an amazing speaker. She speaks with such utter conviction. All of the speakers on the reproductive panel were a force to be reckoned. So fair dues to one and all.

Just on the off chance, AKB@4, that you’re for real and not just spouting nonsense for the sake of it, I should point out that abortion does not kill babies; it destroys embryos, or in later stages, foetuses. If you can’t tell the difference between an embryo and a baby, or between a foetus and a baby, then I suspect your connection to reality might be a little glitchy.